You Take Care of Me
by jessalyn78
Summary: Lavon has some feelings he's been hiding from Zoe. How will they play out after Wade cheats?


**I wrote this because I am in an AU couples mood, and the HOD fandom doesn't seem to have too many AU couple fics! Don't worry I still ship Zade! But one of the best things about fanfiction is that you can explore possibilities that'll probably never happen on the show!**

Lavon looked down at Zoe as she laid on his couch sleeping soundly- vodka bottle in hand, and make up smeared all over her face. He knew it was from crying, and that made his heart break for her. Somehow she still looked beautiful despite the pitiful state she was in. The moonlight reflected off her skin in a way that made it so irresistibly kissable, but Lavon knew he had to resist it, just like he had for the past year and a half.

Lavon definitely had a type. A strong-willed, stubborn woman who went after what she wanted. Zoe and Lemon were really more alike than either of them ever realized, that was probably why they hated each other so much. They both were used to getting what they wanted, so when they wanted the same thing at the same time, in this case George Tucker…that became problematic.

He had been in love with Lemon Breeland, no doubt about. A passionate, all-consuming love that he thought he'd only feel once in his lifetime, but as time went by the feelings grew weaker and weaker. She had rejected him when she decided George was the one for her, and that was a wound he had never quite healed from. He knew he needed to move on and so he did, but the way he did it probably wasn't the healthiest way he could have chosen. Lusting after the spunky little brunette living in his carriage house….

It wasn't love at first sight with Zoe, not romantic love anyway. But every time she came up with another wacky plan of hers, or got that look on her face that she got when she was really, really angry, or let out that crazy honk of a laugh of hers, he fell deeper and deeper until one day he realized that he was ass-backwards in love with her.

But, he wasn't about to turn the Zoe/Wade/George love triangle into a square. Between the two of those clowns (who he admittedly liked, but not when he thought about them with his Zoe) she had enough instability in her life. He would be her constant. For her own sake he had placed himself safely in the "friend zone."

However, it was times like these that he regretted that choice. He didn't want to be sitting next to the couch as the supportive best friend there to hold her hair back if she woke up from her drunken stooper to empty her stomach. He wanted her to be in his arms. He wanted to kiss all of the tears she had cried off of her face. He wanted… Damn it, he wanted her!

Watching her with Wade Kinsella had been the most painful few months of his life. Every glance, every kiss, every whisper between the two of them made his stomach turn. He played it cool, but the truth was a dark part of himself wanted to steal her away from him.

When he found out Wade cheated he thought that it was a sign that Zoe and him were meant to be. He felt relieved, happy even until he saw her face. He could see how wounded she was in her eyes. He saw her delicate lips pursed, and a tear falling down her pale face. His heart literally ached for her. He knew that the last thing she needed was the confusion of another man professing his undying affection for her, so he did what he always did. He played the role of supportive friend. He danced with her. Got her to smile even. And those hours with her in his arms on the dance floor were the happiest of his life.

But ever since they got home that night she had been wallowing in her depression. Lavon could deal with not being with her, he had been dealing with that for a long time, but he couldn't deal with watching the Zoe he loved fade away before his eyes. Whatever he needed to do to get her better, he was willing to do it.

"Lavon?" she asked groggily as she lifted her head from the couch.

"Hey, Z" he chuckled as he rubbed her back. "How ya' fellin?"

"Like ass" she groaned as she sat up.

He wasn't sure why he found her drunken swearing so endearing, but he did. There was something so real about her. There was no pretense, at least not when she was with him. She let him see her true self.

"You need to stop this" he scolded as he took the bottle away from her. "Booze isn't going to fix your problems."

"Well it will make me forget about them for a while" she shrugged. "Make me forget about Wade. I should have listened to Li-lilyAnne" she drunkenly stuttered. "Run from Wade" she added with a smile as she rose her eyebrows.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he laughed.

"You don't know? It's like the best song ever" she asked in a high pitched squeal. "Run from Wade!" she said in a noise that Lavon figured was supposed to be singing.

"We should get you to bed" he nodded with an amused grin. "You can continue your American Idol try outs tomorrow."

"You think I'm that good!?" she asked, not detecting his sarcasm.

"No" he answered dryly. "Your singing sounds like someone drowning a bag of cats."

"Oh" she sighed. "Wade liked my singing."

"Wade was lying" he said as he stood to his feet and took her hand in his. "Come on drunky, it's time for bed."

Zoe tried to stand to her feet, but immediately fell over. Lavon was concerned that she had hurt herself until he heard her fits of giggles from the floor.

"Come on" he groaned as he lifted her into his arms.

"You're carrying me!?" she asked with a laugh, as if it were the most ridiculous prospect in the world.

"I don't want you to break your neck tripping over your own feet" he explained as he made his way toward the door.

"Wait!" she said urgently.

"What?" he asked, gazing at her mascara-smeared face.

"I want to stay here. With you. At the main house. I get lonely over there sometimes" she said sadly, something she never would have admitted if she weren't wasted.

"Okay" he said softly as he pulled her body closer to his. In that moment he'd do anything she wanted him to. "Stay with me."

"You don't mind?" she asked as her voice broke.

"No" he murmured as he laid her back on the couch. "No, not at all." The truth was he wanted nothing more to take her into his bed. To take her _on_ his bed. But he knew he had to stop thinking like that.

"No one has ever loved me like you" she said sleepily.

"What do you mean?" he asked as panic surged through his body. Did she know?

"You take care of me" she clarified. "Even when I don't deserve it. Even when I get myself wasted on cheap vodka."

"I'll always take care of you" he said gently. "Always. You can count on me."

"I know" she said as a content smile spread across her face. "And I love you for it."

"I love you too Zoe" he murmured as she drifted off to sleep. "More than you'll ever know."

**Please Review! A one-shot for now, but if there's interest I'll write more!**


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